The Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the Baltimore Ravens at home in the NFL kickoff game on Thursday night. A rematch of the 2023 AFC championship game that ended in the Chiefs winning 17-10, propelled the Chiefs to a third Super Bowl victory in five years.
Mahomes breaking records in style
Mahomes broke the Chiefs all-time passing yards in franchise history. Not only did Patrick pass Len Dawson for the most passing yards, he did it in typical Mahomes fashion. A 3rd and 12 coming up for the Chiefs, needing to move the sticks to gain yards. After the snap, a 4-man rush came from the Ravens defensive line, chasing Mahomes out of the pocket. Escaping the rush, Mahomes rolls out to the far side of the field, looking for his favorite connection, Travis Kelce. Slinging the ball across his body, ‘Magic’ Mahomes makes the completion to Travis for a 23-yard gain. A 57.4% catch probability made easy for the duo, getting the needed first down.
A Worthy first-round pick
“With the 28th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select, Xavier Worthy, wide receiver, Texas.” The first-round pick made a statement in his first NFL game, scoring on his first touch of his career. Recording 68 total yards and 2 touchdowns, a statement was made for his career. Worthy recorded a 4.22 40-yard dash time in the NFL draft combine, translating to 18.18mph, .27mph slower than haw fast he ran his first touchdown. His other touchdown, not as impressive as his first but still took it to the house in style. One on one with Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, a juke move to loose Worthy giving Xavier room to utilize his speed before snagging the ball at the 10 yard line and prancing into the end zone.
Catching own passes
Looking down field for an open receiver, Mahomes decides to run it to try to get the first down as he sees a hole. Noticing an open receiver in Rashee Rice, attempts to pass the ball to Rice but gets batted by Ravens Trenton Simpson. A similar play to what Lamar Jackson ran in the AFC championship game the last time these teams met. A 3rd and 10 situation with just two minutes and 38 seconds left to go in the game, Mahomes and the Chiefs fail to convert, and give the ball back to Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.
Likely a toe out of bounds
Final boy of the game. Win or go home for the Ravens. After a wide open, Zay Flowers missed a loosely thrown ball by Lamar Jackson, the ravens get one more shot to tie or possibly win. Lamar Jackson, looking to throw, finds an open Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone. Needing to get 2 feet prior to the white line in the back, Isaiah neglect to get both feet down inside. After initially ruled a touchdown, the referee reviewed the play showing that Likely had a toe out of bounds, thus ending the game.
